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Leading Caribbean historian Dr Lennox Honychurch has lamented the failure of regional politicians to forge Caribbean unity and has criticised what he describes as unhealthy drive towards materialism which he says is being copied from the United States—Trinidad’s Guardian reports.
Noting that only the UWI and the West Indies cricket team showed some semblance of regional unity, Honeychurch pointed to the lack of cohesiveness among Caribbean nationalities.
Honychurch, an Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence 2011 laureate in Arts and Letters, was speaking at a lecture on Monday, one of a series being delivered at UWI by Sabga laureates at the Learning Resource Centre at the University of the West Indies’ St Augustine Campus.
The Dominican is best known throughout the Caribbean for his three-volume series, The Caribbean People, which is used for “O” Level examinations. He said the crash of the Clico conglomerate, which saw thousands of depositors lose their life’s savings, was caused by a “blind and brutal form of materialism” and also gave some suggestions as to how Caribbean countries could become more self-sufficient.
Honychurch said agriculture had been neglected because of the painful legacy of slavery but warned food security would soon become a serious issue. Using solar and wind power in the Caribbean was a good idea, he added. Addressing the audience in the centre’s auditorium, which included Port-of-Spain Archbishop Fr Joseph Harris, Honychurch dedicated his lecture on “Fifty Years Since Federation and the Realities Ahead” to Trinidadian historian CLR James.
He traced several attempts by Caribbean leaders, as far back as the 18th century, to unite the West Indies, including the short-lived political union of the Federation of the West Indies from 1958 to 1962. Honychurch lamented how they all failed and left a yearning for Caribbean unity.
UWI principal Dr Clement Sankat said through the dissemination of the works of the Sabga laureates, the university had been given an opportunity to educate the public. He said Honychurch was one of 20 honourary UWI graduates in 2012. His lecture was timely and relevant to the university, which is regional, Sankat added.
Sharing his own thoughts on regional unity, he said: “We either swim together or sink separately.” The Sabga Awards are the English-speaking Caribbean’s leading recognition programme in arts, sciences, public and civic works. The awards, inaugurated in 2005, are fully funded by the ANSA McAL Foundation.
For the original report go to http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2012-11-07/sabga-laureate-laments-lack-unity-caribbean
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